Season Review:Dope Sheet Preseason Week 2 Vs. Atlanta.Qxd.Qxd
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Packers Public Relations Lambeau Field Atrium 1265 Lombardi Avenue Green Bay, WI 54304 920/569-7500 920/569-7201 fax Jeff Blumb, Sarah Quick, Adam Woullard, Rob Crane, Mike Spofford, Jeff Harding, Aaron Popkey VOL. IX; NO. 26 GREEN BAY, JAN. 31, 2008 2007 SEASON REVIEW MAGICAL SEASON COMES TO BITTER END PLENTY OF REASONS FOR OPTIMISM IN 2008 The most memorable Packers season in a decade came to a sudden and Headed by a strong football operations led by McCarthy and general man- deflating end in overtime of the NFC Championship Game. ager Ted Thompson, the Packers enter 2008 with plenty of momentum. On a bitterly cold Sunday night in what became the highest-rated non- Winners of 17 of their last 20 regular-season games, the Packers will Super Bowl telecast since the Seinfeld finale in 1998, the New York return many of their core players next season. Giants ended Green Bay’s season on a 47-yard field goal. McCarthy said a timetable for Favre’s decision will be much like last year, Still, it was a season which exceeded nearly all expectations for the in which the quarterback announced his decision to return one month league’s youngest club. Nearly every preseason prognosticator picked after the season concluded. Green Bay to finish around the .500 mark. 21 of 22 starters are under contract for 2008, highlighted by a number Instead, the Packers matched a franchise record with 13 regular-season of young contributors. 16 starters have yet to reach the age of 30. wins, many of which came in electrifying fashion, and captured the 18th The Packers currently hold six selections in April’s NFL Draft. NFL com- division title in franchise history. pensatory selections will be awarded in March. Earning a first-round bye for the first time since 1997, the Packers “There has been so much positive about how the year went along, but defeated the Seahawks in the Divisional round in what will surely go everybody to a man is disappointed the way it ended,” McCarthy said in down as one of the most memorable games in Lambeau Field history. his final press conference. “So we have a lot of positive energy, a lot of Head Coach Mike McCarthy, 2007 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year, positive experiences to tap into as we move forward, and I would antic- became the first Packers coach since Vince Lombardi to lead his team ipate come March that we'll pick up and have a better offseason than last to a championship game in his second season. year.” Just two seasons removed from a 4-12 record, the resurgence came The Packers’ offseason workout program begins March 17. Mini-camps from strong play in all three phases. McCarthy, the offense’s play-caller, and OTAs will begin later in the spring. engineered the NFL’s No. 2-ranked unit, which put up one of the most productive seasons in Packers history. Not to be overlooked was the PRESEASON defense, which ranked 11th in the league at season’s end, and a special Date Opponent Result Att. teams unit that produced four touchdowns. Sat., Aug. 11 at Pittsburgh Steelers . W, 13-9 (57,151) Sat., Aug. 18 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (Gold Pkg.) . .W, 48-13 (69,761) PERHAPS HIS BEST? (Midwest Shrine Game) The NFL’s only three-time MVP, quarterback Brett Favre may have com- Thurs., Aug. 23 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS . .L, 21-13 (69,268) pleted the finest season of his career at age 38. Favre became just the (Bishop’s Charities Game) fourth NFL player to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Thurs., Aug. 30 at Tennessee Titans . .L, 30-14 (69,143) and also took home 2007 FedEx Air Player of the Year honors. REGULAR SEASON It was a monumental year for Favre, who broke some of the league’s most hallowed records. Date Opponent Result Att. At the N.Y. Giants in Week 2, Favre recorded his 149th career win, sur- Sun., Sept. 9 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES . .W, 16-13 (70,598) passing John Elway as the winningest quarterback in league history. Sun., Sept. 16 at New York Giants . .W, 35-13 (78,701) Sun., Sept. 23 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (Gold Pkg.) . .W, 31-24 (70,733) Favre now has 160 career wins. Sun., Sept. 30 at Minnesota Vikings . .W, 23-16 (63,779) In Week 4 at Minnesota, he surpassed Dan Marino as the NFL’s all-time Sun., Oct. 7 CHICAGO BEARS . .L, 20-27 (70,904) leader in touchdown passes with his 421st TD. He now has 442. Sun., Oct. 14 WASHINGTON REDSKINS . .W, 17-14 (70,761) In Week 15 at St. Louis, again he surpassed Marino as the all-time Sun., Oct. 21 Open Date . leader in passing yards. He has 61,655 career passing yards. Mon., Oct. 29 at Denver Broncos . .+W, 19-13 (77,160) Once again, Favre started all 16 games at quarterback for the Packers, Sun., Nov. 4 at Kansas City Chiefs . .W, 33-22 (78,988) bringing his career total to 253 consecutive regular-season starts. That Sun., Nov. 11 MINNESOTA VIKINGS (Gold Pkg.) . .W, 34-0 (70,945) streak ranks second in NFL history. Sun., Nov. 18 CAROLINA PANTHERS . .W, 31-17 (70,805) But it wasn’t all about breaking records for Favre in 2007. In leading the Thurs., Nov. 22 at Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving) . .W, 37-26 (63,257) Packers to the division title and the NFC’s No. 2 seed, he turned in one Thurs., Nov. 29 at Dallas Cowboys . .L, 27-37 (64,167) of the finest statistical seasons of his 17-year NFL career. A look at Sun., Dec. 9 OAKLAND RAIDERS . .W, 38-7 (70,828) where some of his 2007 numbers rank over his brilliant career: Sun., Dec. 16 at St. Louis Rams . .W, 33-14 (66,008) Sun., Dec. 23 at Chicago Bears . .L, 7-35 (62,272) Category 2007 Total Rank Sun., Dec. 30 DETROIT LIONS . .W, 34-13 (70,869) Wins 13 1T Completion percentage 66.5% 1 POSTSEASON 300-yard passing games 7 1T Date Opponent Result Att. Passing yards 4,155 3 Sat., Jan. 12 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS . .W, 42-20 (72,168) Passer rating 95.7 3 Sun., Jan. 20 NEW YORK GIANTS . .+L, 20-23 (72,740) Interceptions 15 3T + – overtime Completions 356 4 THE DOPE SHEET 2007 SEASON REVIEW Pg. 2 MIKE McCARTHY END-OF-SEASON EXCERPTS Jan. 23, 2008 (After watching the film, is there anything you would or could have done better than the first time in Chicago. I have a point of reference to point differently from a strategic standpoint on Sunday?) Well, personally, I from a coaching standpoint, but as far as practicing outside, there's haven't watched the film. I know the coaches have graded the film. We other factors involved with why we don't go outside. But I'm comfort- talked about it as a staff. Strategically, I mean, off the top of my head, I able with the way we practiced, if that's what your question is. would say no. I think anytime you go into a game-plan, you look to put (Can you put your finger on why the focus and fundamentals were not your players in position to be successful. Based on the way the Giants there?) First of all, you have to give credit to the New York Giants. They played us, I don't think anything they did was a complete surprise. It was played very well and I don't want to take away anything away from their more about execution. victory and what they've accomplished on the road, and I'm in charge of (Is that unusual for you not to watch the tape three days later?) It's the Green Bay Packers and it starts with me, the responsibility. We did unusual but it normally happens at the season-ending ...You have your not play our best football in a time when we needed to play our best foot- exit interviews, I start meeting with the coordinators today. So we ball. That's something our whole offseason will be based on. There are haven't had time to sit down and do it. I'm not looking forward to it. a lot of positives throughout the season that we'll move forward from (Has any of the pain subsided?) Well, it's a disappointing loss. There's and if we need to change anything with our structure, our practice struc- no question about that for everybody involved, for our fans, the Green ture, anything involved, I think we've shown in the last two years we've Bay Packers organization, and for our football team. It was an opportu- been here we're not afraid to change if it's going to make our football nity that we had earned, to be in that game, and to have the game at team better. home, and to have a number of opportunities in the (Do you have a wish list of upgradeable positions?) game made available for us to win the game and we I'm not there yet. I'll spend the rest of the week, I'm did not take advantage of it. It's a tough loss, it's a actually meeting with the coordinators, I probably loss we need to learn from and I've had a chance to won't have a chance to meet with the assistant coach- look back at the game, I look at the Giants game, I es until I get back from the Pro Bowl.